Soulmark
by NeroLieto
Summary: Thor saves a human girl during the battle of New York, and ends up coming face to face with his Soulmate. Thor x OC, soulmate AU, Just because I like the idea of the big bad Thunder God being a complete softie at heart. Initially a oneshot, but turning into a series of vignettes of Thor and Ellie attempting to navigate their new life together.
1. Chapter I: Soulmark

**Thor pulls a tiny human girl out of the rubble of New York and comes face to face with his soulmate. Soulmate AU, ThorXhuman!reader. I like the idea of the big bad Thunder God being a complete softie at heart and this happened.**

* * *

Ellie Brookes.

Two words, twelve letters, memorised long before he understood their meaning.

Thor had always found the idea of a Soulmark incredibly romantic. The idea that Fate had seen him and chosen his perfect match.

For as long as Thor could remember, he'd dreamt of her. As a child, he'd thought of little else. He'd regularly earned a harsh scolding from his teachers, from his weapons instructors, from his Father, for not paying attention. He couldn't help it; he was consumed with the idea of the woman Fate had designed for him. What did she look like? Would she be as loud and boisterous as him? Would she be as violent, as weapon-hungry, as quick to anger (and, in later years as he came to see these as bad traits, he wondered, 'would she still love him despite these things?')? Would she match his fire, or would she be more of a gentle balm to sooth his flames?

Would she love him, the way he was already certain that he loved her?

As Thor grew up, he envisioned her in different roles. As a ten year old boy, he envisioned her as one of the Asgardian noble girls who giggled when he glanced their way at events. As a seventeen year old, when he began to throw himself more into his weapons training, he envisioned her as one of the warrior-women he saw training in the courtyard. As a twenty-two year old, when the Allfather formed an allegiance with Alfhaim, he envisioned her as one of the beautiful Alfhaim elves who arrived in his kingdom to celebrate their treaty. (Ironically, hundreds of years later, when he did finally find her, despite having imagined her in thousands of different forms, he'd not once imagined the tiny human she ended up being).

When all his friends began to find their own Soulmates, he'd gone to Frigga. His Mother and the Allfather were the only two in the nine realms permitted to sit upon the high seat of Hlidskjalf, to look out over the realms. But whilst Odin and Frigga could both see what was and what had passed, _only_ Frigga had the power to also see all that would someday come to be.

So Thor had gone to her, and he had _begged_ his mother to put him out of his misery. "Please, you must tell me," Thor demanded. "Have you seen her? Have you seen my One?"

"You know that I cannot speak of what I have Seen," Frigga said. And it was the truth; Thor did know this. Whilst his Mother had been gifted foresight, and she knew all that was to come, she was barred from ever speaking of it. A curse, more than anything; to know the future, and yet be forced to watch it happen, unable to stop it. (In later years, Thor would look back at the special attention she had always paid to Loki, and he would think sadly of his devoted Mother watching as her adopted son spiralled into a madness she was powerless to pull him from, knowing that his Fate, to be the bringer of death and misery to so many- including his own Soulmate- was already set in the stars).

"I just- I've been waiting for so long," Thor said dejectedly. "I've waited an eternity- how many more will I have to wait?"

Frigga had looked upon him sadly, before laying a hand on his hunched shoulder. "Fear not, my son," she said comfortingly. "She will come to you when the time is right."

Thor's entire being perked up. "So you _have_ seen her?!"

"You know that I cannot tell you that," Frigga repeated, her gaze twinkling. "But my son, your souls are intertwined. Destiny will bring you to her someday, when the time is right."

Thor took these words to heart; his Soulmate would appear when she was meant to, and not a moment sooner. So as the Thunder God got older and wiser, as the centuries passed, he thought of her less actively. No longer envisioning her everywhere he went, or actively dreaming of her. He never forgot her, nothing like that- how could he, when her name was scrawled in elegant writing over his forearm? No longer thinking of her constantly, thoughts of her would come to him in certain moments. In his quieter moments, he would think or her, he would hope that wherever she was now, that she was alright… that she was happy. In his more dangerous moments, bleeding on the battlefield of a seemingly unwinnable fight, he would take solace in the fact that this simply could not be his end- he couldn't die, because he hadn't met her yet.

When his Brother has taken over the throne and tried to kill him in New Mexico, he hadn't had much time to ponder on his Soulmate. In the months following his return to his Kingdom, and Loki's fall into the destroyed Bifrost, he hadn't had much time to ponder on his Soulmate. When Loki reappeared on Earth, wielding a sceptre of pure energy and backed by the Chitauri army… well, it was a lot to deal with, and so Thor had been busy attempting to work with SHIELD, and he really hadn't had any time at all to ponder on his Soulmate.

Of course, they do say that when you're least expecting something is when it will happen.

New York city was being destroyed. His Brother had dropped him out of the sky in a glass cage (something he was really quite miffed about, if he was being perfectly honest), Bruce Banner had disappeared, the Captain of America and the Man of Iron were too busy arguing to be of any use, and a portal had opened in the sky to let the Chitauri army though.

Thor _really_ wasn't having a good day.

But miraculously, the Avengers returned, all of them, and they were fighting to keep the monsters at bay and protect the city whilst seeking a way to put this madness to a stop. Thor was directly below Stark Tower, fighting with the Captain of America and the Black Widow, when he overheard the Man of Iron yelling through Black Widow's strange electronic earpiece that two more enormous Chitauri Leviathans had just come through the portal.

The streets ahead had been cleared of civilians so only a handful of Chitauri remained, making it a prime location to take down the leviathans for minimum damage to the city. He'd just yelled to the Black Widow to tell the Man of Iron to lure the Leviathans to them, when a second glance alerted him to the fact that he'd been wrong; a flash of movement and bright colour caught his eye, and Thor stepped closer to see the tiny human girl his initial sweep of the area had overlooked.

She had been hidden behind an overturned truck, and she was fighting valiantly. She clutched in her hands what looked like a plank of wood, plucked from the rubble of a destroyed shop behind her, and she was using it to beat Chitauri out of her way.

"Two big guys, coming at ya," Came Stark's voice out of Black Widow's earpiece, and Thor glanced back at the girl. He noticed a Chitauri beast climbing over the roof of the truck behind her, and he knew that she would never spot it in time. Half a heartbeat later, he'd pulled his arm back and thrown Mjolnir with all his might towards her. The hammer sent the beast flying a second before it reached her.

Calling the hammer back to him, Thor heard the enormous Leviathans coming closer to the street they were on. Lifting Mjolnir, Thor took to the sky and landed just beside her. The girl spun around with a startled gasp, and Thor extended his hand to her, his eyes darting between her and the end of the street, where danger approached. "Come with me; I shall keep you safe," he promised, and the girl barely hesitated before taking his outstretched hand.

Pulling her close to his chest, Thor propelled them into the sky, landing at the end of the street just as Stark flew into the other side of the street, two enormous and horrifying Leviathans trailing behind him.

Pushing the girl into the street corner, Thor told her "stay here, I will make sure you are not harmed."

Barely pausing to acknowledge her nod, Thor turned back to the monsters.

Raising Mjolnir, Thor called lighting down to fry the Leviathans. Screeching in pain, the monsters began to fall from the sky. Throwing Mjolnir with all his might, Thor watched as the hammer entered one of the beast's mouth and exited its tail a moment later, ripping the Leviathans internal organs with it. The beast fell to the ground, but the other kept coming towards Thor and the girl.

A second later, Mjolnir was back in his hand, and Thor dived at the Leviathan and slammed his hammer down on its head, sending it spinning to the ground, where it did not move again.

"Nice one, point-break!" he heard Stark yell, but Thor paid no mind. He'd already turned back to the girl. Her jaw was hanging wide, her eyes shocked, until a second later when her gaze darted behind him.

"Look out!" she screamed hoarsely, darting forwards and bringing her plank of wood down to smack a stray Chitauri in the back of the head, knocking it to the ground. Rearing back and smacking it again, she didn't stop until it stopped moving.

Thor could only watch her, his mouth gaping open in surprise at the tiny mortal showing a level of bravery worthy of the fiercest of warriors.

For the first time, Thor properly looked at her, and he found that she was the most beautiful woman he'd seen in the eight-and-a-half centuries he'd been alive. A shock of an unfamiliar emotion ran through him, and he suddenly found himself halted in his tracks, unable to take his eyes off of her.

Lost for words for a moment, he eventually managed to choke out, "thank you."

"Don't mention it," she mumbled, out of breath, her large eyes blinking up at him.

"THOR FOR GODS SAKES, MOVE YOUR ASS!" Stark shouted. Thor wrapped his arm around the girl's waist and dived to the side, just as Tony shot the several Chitauri climbing out of the sewer where he and the girl had just been standing. Landing on his side, Thor managed to catch the brunt of the human girl's weight to break her fall.

And in doing so, he came face to face with her forearm as it shot out to clutch his shoulder to balance herself- and, in complete awe all of a sudden, he read the words _Thor Odinsson_ scrawled along her arm in familiar script.

He could almost swear that time had stopped.

Thor read his name several more times, blinking in confusion as he couldn't quite grasp what was happening. It was only once the girl shifted on top of him that he regained his bearings, gripping her waist tighter and pulling her with him as he sat up. The girl could only gasp, clutching his shoulders for balance as he shifted her against him. He felt her pulling away, but he clutched her tighter, unwilling to allow her any further than she already was-

-because this was the girl, _this was his soulmate_ , and in 863 years this was the closest he'd ever been to her, and now his mind was racing and he couldn't even speak he was so overwhelmed with the thought that _this is her, this girl belongs to me, don't let her go don't let her go don't let her go-_

"Ellie Brookes," he finally managed to choke out, and she froze against him, and oh _god_ he'd said her name a million times but it had never sounded so good, it had never felt so real, "Ellie…"

She blinked up at him in surprise, her hand clutching his shoulder tightly. "How do you… how do you know me?"

Thor couldn't help the elated laugh that escaped him as his eyes ran over her, desperately drinking her in. He'd waited for so long- _so long, so many lifetimes-_ and he'd envisioned her so many times, he'd _dreamed_ of her more nights than not, but here, now, she was so much more beautiful, more perfect for him, than he'd ever imagined- her skin soft against his, her small body fitting against his much larger frame, her hand clutching him tighter and her body shifting closer as her body understood what her brain did not yet know. And even as the battle raged around them, as the Chitauri continued pouring from the portal in the sky, as Loki continued to destroy all in his path- Thor was unconscious to it all, as he clutched his entire _world_ tighter in his arms.

"Who… who are you?" she murmured, swallowing thickly, and Thor grinned broadly, letting out an elated laugh as he brushed her hair gently behind her ear.

"I am Thor Odinsson," he spoke proudly, feeling her sharp intake of breath against him, "and I am your Soulmate."


	2. Chapter II: The Battle

**So my little Thor soulmate AU was supposed to be a oneshot but it's completely run away with me! Here's chapter 2 in what's becoming a series of vignettes of Thor and his Soulmate attempting to navigate their new life together.**

 **Summary: Picks up immediately after the first chapter. Thor's met his soulmate in the battle of New York, and now he has to keep her safe from the surrounding chaos. This becomes a great deal more difficult when she comes face to face with his exiled brother, Loki.**

* * *

For a very long moment, Ellie just gaped up at the huge blonde beast towering above her. Forgetting how to speak, almost forgetting how to breathe, until she let out a very quiet "Oh…"

Thor grinned again, his palm cupping her face and taking her in. And Ellie couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was utterly incredible, looked more like a God than a man. His flowing blond hair, messy from battle; his dark golden skin, covering a firm muscled body that was currently holding her so gently, taking the utmost care to treat her almost reverently; and his bright blue eyes, an inhumanely beautiful aquamarine, staring at her as though he'd never seen anything more beautiful, as though he'd been waiting lifetimes to finally lay eyes on her.

And he had.

Suddenly overwhelmed with the fact that she was sitting in her soulmate's lap, that this incredibly beautiful man was fated to belong to her, Ellie felt a sudden overpowering urge to kiss him. She'd waited for him for so long, and he was suddenly here _, all hers_ , and she couldn't fight the urge to press her lips to his even if she tried.

Except, Fate apparently had other plans.

Just as Ellie leant towards him, Thor's gaze dipping down to her lips, a loud voice sounded from behind them.

"THOR, FOR GOD'S SAKES!"

Several small explosions sounded, and Thor and Ellie both turned in time to see Tony shooting several more Chitauri who had emerged from around the corner. Satisfied they had all been taken care of, Tony spun around and the face plate of the Iron Man suit opened so he could speak to them.

"Thor, listen, she's gorgeous, I get it," Tony said, sending a wave to Ellie, "but we kind of have a situation going on right now so I need you to _get your ass up_ before you get yourself killed."

As though shaken out of a stupor, Thor and Ellie both realised where exactly they were.

"You're right," Thor responded, tightening his hands on Ellie's waist and pushing them both effortlessly to their feet before pulling Ellie closer to his chest.

It was like he'd been pulled from a dream-state, and suddenly everything around him came crashing back into focus. The screams, the explosions- the battle of New York continued to forge on around them. Thor swore to himself- _why now? Why did she come into his life now, at such a dangerous time? Could she not have waited?!_

Immediately afterwards, he shook himself. Now may not be the perfect time, but it was the time that Fate had demanded, and he would never regret meeting her.

But now… what was he supposed to do?

Thor could already feel the physical effects of the completion of their Soulmate bond. His Mother had once explained to him that things would feel strange for the first few weeks after meeting his Soulmate, that their bodies would have to physically adapt. They'd lived for years (he, slightly longer than the average person) apart; their souls now had to adjust to the completeness of having the other. He felt it from the moment he laid eyes on her, a tightness in his chest, as though a string was coiling tightly around his ribcage and pulling him towards her.

The same string was physically holding him to her now. He didn't know if he could force himself away from her, every fibre in his being was screaming at him _stay with her, don't let her go, never let her out of your sight,_ and all Thor wanted to do was obey. Even as he tried to be reasonable, to think logically, his instincts were attempting to beat all reasonable thoughts out of his head so he could focus wholly on her.

In all his years of living, Thor had never desired anything in the nine realms the way that he now did; all he wanted was to remain with her, to take her somewhere safe, to forget this battle, forget everything that wasn't her…

But he could not. The longer that they delayed, the more damage the Chitauri were causing to this world- his Soulmates world. Thor's brother was at fault for this chaos, had chosen this world because he, Thor, had loved this world so. He had a responsibility to these people, owed it to the humans to do all that he could to save them.

He had to stay and fight, and Ellie had to get as far out of the line of fire as possible.

"I have to get her to safety," Thor directed his words at Tony, who nodded.

"There's about five evacuation checkpoints being set up on the edges of the city; they're directing as many civilians to those as possible. If we keep the Chitauri contained in the inner-city streets, those will be safe spots. I can get her there and-"

"No," Thor interrupted. "That isn't good enough- if a single beast escapes our notice and reaches one of the checkpoints, it could take out dozens of civilians. I _need_ her safety to be guaranteed."

Before Tony could respond, Ellie shook Thor's arm to get his attention. " _No,_ Thor, you can't just ship me off somewhere, I want to help-"

"It's far too dangerous; you _will_ be killed. These beasts are not of this world."

"They're destroying my home! I have a responsibility to do something."

A flash of pride reared up inside of Thor at his Soulmates warrior spirit. But a second emotion made itself known, overwhelming the first- a raw terror for her safety, and the fear of any harm coming to her. And that second emotion ruled his actions.

"You have a brave soul, Ellie," Thor said, allowing pride to colour his words before he suddenly turned serious. "But you are not a soldier, and you will be no match for these beasts. I understand your desire to fight for your home- truly, I do. But the Chitauri are bred for battle; bravery is not enough."

Thor felt a tightening in his chest as she shifted closer to him, and he lowered his voice. "I've only just found you. Please do not force me to watch you die in this battle. Please."

Ellie's gaze softened as she observed him. She asked quietly "what about you?"

A small smile worked its way onto Thor's lips. "I _was_ bred for battle. I have fought beasts like this a thousand times; you need not fear for me."

For a long moment, Ellie just stared up at him. And then finally- she gave a nod of assent, and Thor felt his breath return to him in his relief.

He was about to speak, but was interrupted by Tony.

"…Um, do you two know each other?" Tony asked suspiciously.

Not breaking eye contact with Ellie, Thor said aloud "she's my Soulmate" and revelled in the elated feeling those words spread through his body. He would never tire of saying that.

"Oh, shit!" Tony cursed, his tone surprised. "Your timing is terrible, by the way, but congratulations, you two!"

Finally drawing his attention back up to the Man of Iron, Thor's hand tightened on Ellie's waist as he said emphatically "Tony, her safety is my top priority. Is there nowhere in this city that she will be safe?"

"Stark Tower," Tony said seriously. "Up in my penthouse. She'll be safe up there, I swear it; highest security of anywhere in the city."

"What of Loki?" Thor demanded.

"He left the tower ages ago; Romanoff said he's somewhere near Brooklyn, bringing down a building. I'll tell JARVIS to keep an eye on her, but he has no reason to go back there now that the portal is open."

Thor glanced back down at Ellie and realised that he very literally had no choice but to trust Tony in this moment, with this precious thing. Summoning all of his strength, Thor brought his hands up to frame Ellie's face and said emphatically "you must _promise me_ that you will remain at the Tower."

"I- I promise," Ellie replied, nodding. Thor clutched her tighter against him for a moment, pressing a lingering kiss against her forehead before stepping back and dropping his arms from around her.

It instantly felt as though he'd lost a part of himself. Deep in his stomach, an unsettled feeling was growing, making him feel sick at the idea of parting with her, an overwhelming feeling telling him that this was _wrong_. His chest was tightening to the point of discomfort, almost pain, his blood pumping erratically as his Soulmark burned on his forearm, his Soulbond telling him _don't let her go, don't let her out of your sight!_ But Thor pushed those thoughts and those feelings aside. He could not keep her with him in the battle, and he could not leave the battle to remain with her either. He needed to fight the Chitauri, to stop his brother, and to do that he needed her somewhere safe.

"I swear on the Allfather that I will come for you the instant the battle is done," Thor said solemnly, and Ellie nodded. "You will not be alone for long. I will see you soon."

"Please be safe," Ellie begged quietly, as Tony stepped forwards and extended a hand to her. Ellie waited until Thor had nodded his assent before she stepped into Tony's arms, her eyes never once leaving Thor.

"Wrap your arms around my shoulders and hold on tight," Tony advised, his face plate slipping back into place. "I recommend you close your eyes; this can be a bit of a bumpy ride."

* * *

From so high off the ground, the destruction of New York became so much worse.

Tony had taken Ellie to the penthouse at Stark Tower, some 140 floors above ground. Iron Man clearly lived quite the luxurious life; floor to ceiling windows surrounding the entire room gave Ellie an unparalleled view of the chaos going on around her.

Staring out now over the city, Ellie's hand shot up to muffle a choked cry. Her city, her beloved city… the violence was so much more terrible than she'd thought it was. Everywhere she looked lay destruction and ruin.

A sense of hopelessness descended upon Ellie in that moment, but she refused to allow it to linger. Hopelessness wasn't productive, it wouldn't help save her city. But the anger that quickly formed to take the place of the hopelessness… that would help.

Thor had been right when he had said that she wasn't a soldier, but god damn it, she couldn't just hide up here and watch the city burn, she had to _help_ somehow- and if that was with a plank of wood and a mean right hook, then so be it, at least it was _something._

Swallowing her resolve, Ellie turned and marched further back into the penthouse, her eyes desperately running over everything in the room for anything she might be able to use as a weapon. Down a few hallways, in what appeared to be an office of some sort, Ellie's eyes lit up as she hit the jackpot. Encased in glass, a baseball bat underneath a signed jersey. Wincing apologetically at breaking something of Tony Stark's that probably cost more than everything she owned, Ellie picked up a vase and used it to break the glass.

Now armed, Ellie headed back to the elevator in the main room. She had just pressed the call button when a thudding noise from the balcony caught her attention.

Spinning to see what had caused the noise, Ellie gasped and sprinted over to duck behind the bar, pushing her back against the cold wood and clutching the bat to her chest desperately… because out on the roof, a tall man in green and black robes with a tall, golden helmet had just appeared.

Ellie knew that his appearance could mean nothing good, because she'd seen him earlier. He'd been fighting with the Chitauri monsters, not against them; he'd been helping them to slay any humans that came across their path.

A voice sounded quietly from a speaker on the bar. "I've alerted Mr Stark to Loki's arrival; he'll be here momentarily," JARVIS said, and Ellie nodded, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Iron Man was a brilliant fighter, but she didn't want him here… she wanted Thor. She wanted her Soulmate.

"Can you call Thor?" Ellie whispered, and a moment later JARVIS responded, "Mr Stark has alerted him."

Swallowing thickly, Ellie scooted closer to the edge of the bar and peeked her head out. The man was facing away from her, his arms leaning on the glass railing of the balcony, overlooking the battle.

He was important somehow; he had seemed to not only be fighting with the Chitauri earlier, but to be commanding them somehow. And he was right here, weaponless, his back facing her.

If she could take him out, perhaps it would give Thor and Iron Man and the others a chance to do something to stop the Chitauri.

Clutching the bat tighter, Ellie took a moment to steel her resolve. Then, she rolled over and crawled out from behind the bar, heading slowly towards the open door of the balcony. Taking care to be light on her feet so she was absolutely silent, Ellie slowly rose the bat and crept up behind the man. Just as she'd come within arms distance, she brought down the bat with all her strenth to hit him-

And the man spun faster than she could blink, one hand shooting out to grip her arm and stop the bat in its tracks, his other hand wrapping tightly around her throat.

"What a nice little surprise," the man taunted with a wide, wicked grin. "And what exactly are you doing all the way up here, sweetheart? Shouldn't you be down in the street, dying with the rest of your pathetic people?"

Furiously, Ellie made to yank herself out of his grip, but his strength was much greater than hers and he barely budged, simply squeezing his fingers tighter around her throat. He nodded down at the bat still clutched uselessly in her trapped hand, grinning.

"What was your plan, to beat me to death with a stick of wood? That's amusing, actually-"

His words broke off suddenly when Ellie tried to rip her arm away from him, causing her sleeve to fall down and reveal her Soulmark. His gaze and grip both slackened for a long moment… and then a truly evil glint came to his eyes and he let out a long, wicked chuckle which sent a chill straight through her veins.

"Oh, you've got to be joking," he laughed lowly. "You're it? _You're_ Thor's soulmate? This is far too good to be true…"

Ellie refused to speak, instead fixing him with her fiercest glare. It didn't achieve anything; Loki merely laughed at her. "You're adorable, thinking you could ever be intimidating," he said flatly. "So, tell me: have you met your dearly beloved Thor Odinson yet?"

Maintaining her silence, Ellie continued to glare at him. Until his grip on her arm tightened, and he twisted painfully. Letting out a pained scream, Ellie was pulled into his waiting arms.

"Answer me, mortal," Loki snapped, and she shook her head.

"No, you have not met him, or no, you will not answer?"

Ellie's mind was racing a million miles an hour, trying to fight through the haze of pain in her arm. _What does he want to hear? He knows Thor- seems to hate him- wants to hurt him- which means he'll hurt me- but which answer will keep me alive for longer?!_

Feeling Loki's hand tightening against his wrist again, Ellie tensed against the heightened pain and cried out "No! No, I haven't met him, I don't know him!"

A low chuckle rumbled against her and Loki's grip turned gentle, his hand around her throat coming up to softly, almost lovingly, caress her face and coax her gaze up to meet his. "You cannot lie to the God of Lies," he said softly. "But no matter; you need not worry, I will not harm you until my brother arrives. I want him to _watch_ as I rip your beating heart from your chest. How does that sound, lovely girl?"

* * *

Across the city, Thor and Tony were already on their way back to the Tower when all of a sudden, Thor let out a shout, his grip on Mjolnir slackening as he toppled straight out of the sky.

"Thor!" Tony shouted, dropping down to the roof that the God had landed on.

A coil of anxiety had been growing in Thor's stomach ever since he had parted with Ellie, slowly growing stronger every moment of their separation and urging him, almost _begging him_ to leave the battle and find her, keep her safe-

Until that very moment when the coil had turned into a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest, and he somehow knew without any shadow of a doubt that Ellie was in indescribable danger.

If Thor had found his Soulmate under different circumstances, he would have had the time to begin to understand the physical way that the Soulmate bond manifested itself, the way that Soulmates bodies reacted to each other. But instead, he'd found her in awful circumstances and immediately had to send her away. Thor had assumed that the anxiety at leaving her had been due to a general fear for her safety, but he knew now that that was untrue.

The things he'd been feeling were not his own emotions. His uneasy feeling had been stemming from the Soulmark, which had been screaming at him for the past half an hour, desperately trying to make him understand.

He did understand now.

It was a warning.

His Soulmark had been telling him this entire time that Ellie was in serious danger- but he had ignored it, and now he may be too late.

* * *

Ellie's breath hitched, unable to tear her eyes away from the mad man in front of her. He'd just threatened to rip her heart from her chest and he was _smiling,_ as though he couldn't dream of anything more amusing.

Swallowing thickly, Ellie choked out "I'd prefer if you didn't rip my heart out." Loki laughed delightedly.

"I am sorry it has to be this way," Loki said, shrugging and not sounding at all apologetic. "It's really nothing personal against you; I actually find you quite amusing. I'd keep you around if I could, but this opportunity is simply too good to pass up."

Loki's gaze drifted above her head, and a predatory grin stretched across his face. "Here's your darling Thor, now," he whispered silkily against her ear. "Looks like your time is up already."

A heartbeat later, a loud BANG! sounded as Thor landed on the balcony. "Loki!" he shouted furiously, aggressively striding forwards. Thor came to a full halt when Loki reached down and plucked a small knife from the holster at his thigh, spinning Ellie to face Thor and bringing the blade up to rest at her throat.

Thor's glare narrowed on the weapon, before drifting to Ellie, and finally to Loki. His muscles tensed furiously as his grip tightened on Mjolnir. "Loki, your actions thus far have been awful, but to touch her is unforgiveable and you know it," Thor all but snarled. "To threaten ones Soulmate warrants death on Asgard; get your hands _off of her!"_

In the centuries that Loki had known his hard-headed brother, in all the battles they'd fought together and all the struggles they'd faced together- Loki had not once seen Thor this angry. A shock of thrill ran through him at this latest amusement, and Loki tightened his fingers on Ellie's throat, causing her breath to hitch.

" _Loki!_ " Thor shouted, raising Mjolnir.

"Your sentiment is showing, brother," Loki mocked, grinning against the girl's temple. "But the romance of the situation isn't lost, even on me. To find such a treasure in the midst of battle- and she is a treasure, isn't she? Just your type. Beautiful, but not very clever. She tried to attack me with a wooden bat- I'm sure she thought it was very brave, but it was rather idiotic, and a move that was very reminiscent of you. After all, you, too, have always masked your stupidity as bravery."

They descended into silence, only broken by the distant sounds of the battle far beneath them, and Ellie's hitched breathing.

"I wanted you to witness this; my triumph," Loki said more quietly. "My army will be victorious, I will take this planet for my own. And you, dearest brother, will watch me kill your Soulmate."

Thor blinked furiously, his fingers tightening on Mjolnir and his eyes darting between Ellie and Loki, desperately trying to think of some miraculous way to stop this. But there was nothing; Loki was too close to her, his knife already drawing a thin trickle of blood from Ellie's throat. Any move against his brother would end immediately in her death.

"Do you really hate me so much?" Thor asked helplessly, his gaze coming down to lock onto Ellie's terrified one. Ellie Brookes, his _Soulmate._ 863 years he had waited for her, dreamed of her, _loved her_ , and now his brother was one flick of his wrist from tearing it all away, less than an hour after he'd found her. "You know what she is to me, what she means… why would you do this?"

"Because I do hate you," Loki said simply. "I would draw no greater pleasure than to watch you suffer. And do you know what I think, Thor? I think that you don't _deserve her_. You don't- _oof!_ "

Utilising Loki's distraction, Ellie brought her elbow down hard and hit him in the side, stealing his breath. Instinctively loosening his grip in his surprised state, Ellie used her advantage to spin in his arms and knee him in the crotch.

A heartbeat later an arm was on her waist, and Thor was pulling her desperately out of his brothers reach, shoving her safely behind him. Loki ducked back to his feet just in time to block a punch from Thor, and Ellie stumbled over to her bat. It would be all but useless against Loki, but it was better than her bare hands.

In the end, it proved fruitless. Despite Thor's best efforts to keep Loki from getting back near her, a moment later a slimy hand tightly gripped her arm.

"KILL HER!" Loki roared, and a second later the Chitauri that had managed to sneak up behind her had picked Ellie up, and shoved her bodily over the edge of Stark Tower.

" _NO!"_ The yell ripped painfully from Thor's throat as he made to dive over the edge after her, but Loki tackled his brother to the ground. Thor scrambled back to the edge, desperately shouting her name, as far below them Ellie's terrified screams suddenly cut out.

About 80 storeys further down, Tony glanced down at the girl in his arms, thanking whatever God was listening that he'd arrived at the Tower just in time to see the Chitauri throw her off the balcony.

"Lord, you're trouble for such a tiny thing," he commented idly, as Ellie clutched desperately to the iron suit, her breathing erratic. "But I guess it comes with the territory; your Soulmate is a God, after all."

"He's a what?" Ellie choked out.

"Oh, you don't know?" Tony asked conversationally, his voice lilting up in amusement. "That will be a fun conversation."

Tony flew them back up to the penthouse, delicately dropping Ellie beside Thor before bringing his blasters up and firing full strength at Loki. The God of Mischief was thrown backwards with the force of the hit, shattering the glass window behind him and flying into the penthouse. Tony stepped through the broken glass, following Loki, determined that the tricky bastard wouldn't be getting away from him again.

"Ellie-" Thor choked out, wrapping his arms around her and clutching her desperately to his chest. His breathing stuttered out heavily against her hair, as Thor tried to make sense of the fact that she was in his arms, and tried to erase the horrifying sight of her body disappearing over the ledge moments ago.

"Oh my God," Ellie choked out, her hands shaking as she reached out to grip at Thor's armour. "I just got thrown off a building."

"I'm _sorry_ ," Thor stuttered, "I'm sorry- I'm so sorry, I should have been here, I should have kept you safe-"

Despite the terror still coursing through her body, Ellie shook her head vehemently. "Thor, no, it's not your fault," she insisted, bringing a hand up to thread through his hair and drag his forehead down to rest against her own, her tearful gaze meeting his own rather watery one. "It's okay, I'm okay- I'm alive-"

"You're alive," he repeated, breathing shakily as his heart continued to race. _She's alive- Allfather, what would he have done without her-?_

They remained like that for far longer than they should have. Thor was needed in the battle below, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not drag himself from her. He remained on the balcony of Stark Tower, his Soulmate clutched in his arms as Thor slowly managed to convince himself that she was fine- and that no harm would ever come to her again. He would make sure of that.

When Thor was called back to the battle, he took a shaken Ellie with him. He would not let her out of his sight- not again. He would rather have her by his side in the thick of the battle than away from him where he had no way to protect her.

And she had fought valiantly for her people. A handgun from Tony's stash in the Tower had served her well, and when the bullets had run out, she had used anything from the rubble of destroyed buildings that she could fashion into a weapon. Thor had never strayed more than an arms-length from her side, ensuring no harm came to her, but despite the alarming odds against her, a girl who looked as though she'd never seen a single fight in her life, she was clearly destined to be a warrior.

 _Of course she is,_ Thor mused proudly to himself. _She's your Soulmate._

The battle ended soon after. Loki had been subdued, and Tony had very nearly died in the effort to close the portal. But they were alive- all of them- and as the Chitauri all dropped dead around them, and the humans of New York emerged from their hiding places, Thor allowed himself to consider what that meant.

His eyes dropped to the tiny human standing by his side, her head barely reaching the middle of his chest, her hand clutched in his as she stared up at where the portal had just disappeared. A squeeze from Thor's hand caused her gaze to shift to meet his, and she swallowed thickly.

"Is it over?" she asked quietly, and Thor nodded.

"It's over," he confirmed, and Ellie nodded.

"Good," she replied, throwing herself at him at exactly the same moment that he reached down and pulled her against him, their lips locking together in a desperate kiss.

Dropping Mjolnir to the side, Thor brought both of his hands up to wrap around Ellie's waist, hoisting her feet right off of the ground. Her lips opened to him and his tongue pressed against hers, a feeling of _rightness_ coursing through his bloodstream and muting the underlying panic he'd felt ever since the moment he'd watched her topple off of the tower.

In the past two hours, Thor had found his Soulmate, he had lost her, and then he had regained her. But now, despite everything, she was safe, alive, and in his arms.

And he never planned on letting her go again.


	3. Chapter III: Musings

**Summary: In the wake of their meeting, Thor muses on his new Soulmate bond.**

 **Warnings: fluff fluff fluff fluff!**

 **Consider leaving a review if you enjoyed; I love to hear from you guys! Hope you like it :)**

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Since the day that Thor's Soulmark had formed on his arm, he had been utterly enamoured with the unknown woman. This mysterious Ellie Brookes, who was designed by fate to be his.

His Mother, Frigga, had sat her sons down one day and explained to them what their Soulmarks meant. Loki, ever the pessimist even at the tender age of nine, had loudly proclaimed that the entire Soulmate thing seemed altogether a bit droll. He had complained to his Mother that he had to have one at all; he said that he wished he did not have a Soulmark, that he was not interested in the mysterious woman who bore the name tattooed onto his flesh.

Thor and his brother were very different people. They had disagreed on many things over their long lives together, but _never_ more so than on this. Thor simply could not understand his brothers utter disinterest, which persisted well into adulthood; since the day Thor's own Soulmark had formed on his arm, it had been at the centre of his attention and the unknown woman had been at the centre of his universe.

Frigga had continued on to explain what they should expect when the time eventually came when they met their Soulmates. To feel not just yourself, but the presence of another just beneath your skin. To feel emotions at times that were not your own, to instinctively understand thoughts and knowledge that did not belong to you. To know and have ones Soulmate was, Frigga explained, to feel true peace.

…Eventually. The whole feeling-true-peace thing, apparently, would happen _eventually._

To be brutally honest, the first few weeks of knowing ones Soulmate was borderline chaotic.

"The joining of two souls is no simple matter," Frigga had told her sons seriously. "Until the point when you meet your Soulmates, your souls exist on their own. The second the two of you meet, your souls must stretch to accommodate the presence of the other. It's not a comfortable experience."

At the time, Thor had not fully understood.

Then, years later Thor had met Ellie Brookes during the battle of New York, and slowly he begun to understand exactly what his Mother had been trying to explain.

Thor didn't really know what a soul was; he didn't believe it to be a physical object, but in the weeks following his meeting with Ellie, he swore he could physically _feel_ it deep inside of his chest, could feel his soul shifting to accommodate her own.

Thor knew that his Soulbond would settle soon enough (his Mother had assured him of this), but for the moment it just felt like a constant _tightness_ deep in his chest. It felt as though a string had been coiled tightly around his organs, the other end of which was connected to Ellie, constantly pulling him in her direction.

Even when he was nowhere near Ellie, Thor swore that he could feel her. It felt strange, and a bit uncomfortable, but to feel Ellie was as natural as breathing.

The only time when the Soulbond felt truly calm was when he was in her presence. The further away he was, the more chaotic it felt- like the string was pulling tighter and tighter against him and causing a constant underlying feeling of strain. His body, his Soul, demanded to be close to her.

Unfortunately, this wasn't always possible.

Ellie had told Thor that in Midgard, humans received a month of paid leave from work when they met their Soulmate. During this time their Soulbond was all over the place, making it hard for them to concentrate on anything, so Midgardian culture encouraged them to take time to allow their bond to settle.

Asgard had a similar rule. Six weeks unquestioned freedom from all roles and responsibilities, compensated by the King, to settle into their new Bond.

Thor, however, was not an ordinary Asgardian; he was the Prince. And as he quickly came to find out, his Soulmate was expected to be ranked second to his Princely duties.

After the destruction of the Bifrost two years ago, the nine realms had fallen into chaos without Odin's armies to keep the peace. Groups of bandits capturing cities, armies leading campaigns to conquer planets…. Since the rebuilding of the Bifrost, Thor had been responsible for leading Asgard's armed forces to restore the lost peace to the realms. These battles could forge on for weeks, if not _months._

Then, when Thor wasn't in another realm doing battle, his presence was demanded on Asgard to assist the Allfather to draw up new systems of rule in order to maintain the peace in the territories which Thor was winning back.

And then as if this wasn't enough already, there was his _pain in the goddamn ass brother_ who kept attempting to stage breakouts from his _fucking prison cell_. In between breakout attempts, Loki also kept encouraging riots among the rest of the prisoners as a form of personal entertainment.

To put it simply, Loki was (as per usual) being an enormous pain in Thor's ass.

This was truly an awful time in Thor's life. In all the hundreds of years he'd been alive, he'd never been so bogged down with responsibilities. And although Thor could _never_ regret finally finding his Ellie, sometimes as he lay awake in his chambers in Asgard, billions of lightyears away from her and missing her so terribly his heart _ached_ with it, he cursed the Fates for bringing her to him at the time when they did… at the time when he could never give her what she deserved.

Thor could acknowledge now that he'd always been a little bit naïve in how he thought about his Soulmate, prior to meeting her. In his head, Thor had always thought that his Soulmate would just fit into his life like a puzzle piece, slotting into place.

As it turns out, life didn't really work like that. Ellie wasn't an object for Thor to do with as he wished; she was a person, with her own life on Midgard. Just as he was a Prince, with his own responsibilities on Asgard and to the nine realms which needed to take priority right now.

Those were the facts, as Odin had presented them to him. Just because it was the truth though, didn't mean Thor had to like it.

And he didn't. He really didn't. He just missed her. Missed her, and loved her, and Lord he just _wanted her._

It had been 78 days exactly since the Battle of New York, since he had found his Ellie. And in that time, he'd only managed to spend a grand total of 22 days with her.

Those 22 days had been unarguably the brightest of his entire existence. Thor had been alive for 863 years, and yet nothing in his long life could compare to the joy his Soulmate brought to his days.

She was clever, his mortal. Odin, was she _smart._ She'd proven that on their fifth day together, three weeks after New York- a day which Thor was sure would remain forever one of his favourites with her.

Ellie had told Thor that she held a PhD in forensic archaeology and a second one in ancient mythology (which Thor was very impressed by when she explained to him what a PhD was, and the fact that it was irregular for a 24-year-old to be so qualified).

Her speciality? Norse mythology.

"Ever since I was a kid, I loved all the ancient myths," she had confessed to him, her big blue eyes blinking up at him in the dim light. "I used to make my Mom and Dad read me the same stories, over and over again."

She bit her lip, glancing down shyly. "There was one story I loved more than all the others. I was almost _obsessed,_ I read it every single day, even when I got too old for those stories I couldn't let it go," she said, and Thor brought his fingers up to her chin, pushing her gaze back up to meet his.

"Which one was it?" he questioned, and she grinned rather cheekily.

"The story of the thunder God, Thor," she revealed. "When my Soulmark manifested a few years later I thought it was the funniest coincidence."

Thor hardly had words to respond to this. Ducking his head, Thor pressed his lips firmly against hers, and Ellie opened herself willingly to him. Threading his arms around her waist, Thor firmly clutched her hips and hoisted Ellie up onto his lap. Her surprise caused her mouth to open with a cry, and he took full advantage of her momentary surprise to press his tongue against hers.

He was completely overwhelmed with a need to be close to her, as close as he could possibly get. He wanted to merge his body with her own, to be so close that there was no longer any distinction between he and her. Before her Soulmark had appeared on her body, before she had ever even thought of him, her soul had been reaching out to him through the cosmos.

This was a thought which soothed him in his long days away from her.

But where she was clever, she matched it in toughness.

It wasn't a brute physical strength like which Thor possessed, but a real strength of character. A conviction in herself which was rare, particularly among Midgardians. She'd shown this to him for the first time on their twelfth day together, six weeks after New York.

Thor had made a joking comment about her tiny stature (which he couldn't exactly be blamed for- she was undeniably short, to the extent that it was almost possible to mistake her for a child from behind) and she'd verbally chewed him out so fiercely he'd been left well and truly apoogetic.

He'd watched her numerous times in their 22 days together fiercely stand up for herself and her beliefs to those who attempted to challenge them. Her ferocity in the battle of New York had been incredible to witness. Yes, despite her small stature, Thor's Soulmate was quite the spitfire.

But she was also kind, too. He saw that in her on their seventeenth day together, eight weeks after New York, when Thor had arrived to her home and found her busy feeding a lost baby bird with an eyedropper and settling the small feathered creature in a nest she had made herself.

Her kindness shone out from her every day, in the friendly way she addressed complete strangers, in the care she showed to her loved ones, in the helpfulness she displayed to others almost constantly. Ellie was far kinder and sweeter than he himself had _ever_ been.

Thor had dreamed of Ellie before he met her, pictured her in millions of different ways over the 863 years he'd waited for her, and yet the amalgamation of characteristics which made her exactly who and what she was were so lovely if he had had to wait a thousand more years to meet her, he still didn't think his imagination would ever have come anywhere close to the real thing.

Every moment that he spent with her, he spent in awe of her.

And 22 days was _not enough_. She belonged to him, he deserved to have her every moment of every day, and more than once Thor had become so _fed up_ with the distance that he'd come dangerously close to telling his Father that he was _done_ , that he didn't want the crown or the duties or the responsibilities, he just wanted _her._

She missed him when he was gone, too. Missed him greatly, and wished beyond anything that he would stay with her. She would never say the words aloud though, remained careful to never once ask him to stay, and he silently had to thank her for that. She knew that it wasn't fair to put that on him, and they both knew that the moment she spoke the words aloud, the moment she asked that of him, he'd never leave her side again.

If Ellie asked it of him, Thor would find a way to capture the moon and all the stars and present them to her as a gift. He was completely and utterly devoted to her, his fragile mortal Soulmate, and he would unquestionably do anything she wished of him. Even if that meant renouncing the throne of Asgard, renouncing his homeworld, and remaining forever with her here.

She knew the depth of his love, and so she dared not ask, could not ask it of him.

Thor was a Prince and God, responsible to his people and the nine realms his Father ruled. But Thor knew without any doubt in his mind that if it came down to it, he would trade his title, he would betray Asgard, and he would sacrifice every life in all the nine realms, all for the love of one single mortal girl.


	4. Chapter IV: Drunk on You

**Summary: Ellie gets very drunk, and Thor thinks she's the cutest thing he's ever seen.**

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Thor had been spending more time on Midgard as of late, working with SHIELD to hunt down Loki's lost sceptre. The object had the capacity to do great harm to any mortal who attempted to use its power for their own gain, and so Odin had sent his son to right Loki's wrongs and bring the sceptre back to Asgard where it could be contained.

And, if this quest took a bit of extra time... time that he got to spend with his Soulmate... then that was just a happy coincidence, wasn't it?

Thor learnt that in his absence, his friends from SHIELD had taken it upon themselves to keep an eye on his Soulmate. Ellie had been spending quite a bit of time with them all, and as it turned out she'd formed quite a close friendship with the man of iron. Tony had developed a real fondness for Thor's soulmate, to the point that he was quickly discovering what Thor already knew: it was exceptionally difficult to deny Ellie anything.

So, when Ellie had said that she wanted to go out drinking with the Avengers gang that Saturday night… well, by Odin, Tony was going to make it happen.

The location selected was, Tony breezily told them, one of his favourite spots in town for a more low-key but fun evening out on the town. A bit of a mix between a bar and a nightclub (Ellie had to explain what both of those things were to Thor on the walk over), Tony told them the spot sported some of the best drinks in town- and to add to its appeal, it was a mere three blocks away from Stark Tower, so when Tony got blackout drunk he could walk (or stumble or crawl) his way back home relatively easily.

Thor was eager for an evening of merriment. He'd been spending a significant amount of time with the so called 'Avengers' since he'd been back on Midgard, and he found he quite enjoyed the company of all of them. In addition to that, he'd never seen Ellie drunk before- he expected it would be quite an interesting experience.

He wasn't wrong.

She was well on her way to tipsy by the time they left Stark Tower, as she and Sam had played a few rounds of a rather amusing game she told Thor was called "beer pong". She was a giggly, boisterous sort of drunk it appeared, stumbling over her feet every few metres and clutching tightly onto his arm to rebalance herself, and Thor firmly believed she was the sweetest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

Ellie disappeared to the bar upon arrival at their location, winding her way through the crowd with Steve, Clint, and Tony as the rest of the group headed to a table at the back of the building. The bar seemed to be a popular spot, with crowds big enough to ensure that they had to raise their voices to be heard, but not so busy it was stifling. They found a table relatively easy (one icy glance from Natasha from where she stood next to Thor's massive intimidating stature had a group rapidly evacuating a table for them to take.

Steve, Clint, and Tony appeared back at the table carrying large trays of beer they distributed among the table. Sam declined one (he said he preferred fruitier alcohols), as did Bruce (who said alcohol disagreed with the Other Guy- Thor wasn't entirely sure who this Other Guy was, but he didn't question it), leaving a number of drinks up for grabs.

Thor picked up one of the tiny glasses (Tony announced that it was a pint- pints were bigger on Asgard, Thor noted) and took a swig. Twirling the Midgardian liquid around in his mouth for a moment, Thor considered the taste before finally swallowing it.

It was one of the weakest things he'd ever tasted; it would likely have the same effect as drinking plain water on his immortal form.

Reaching into his coat pocket, Thor fished his flask out and brought it up to pour a hearty amount into his Midgardian drink. After a second of consideration, he also reached out and added some to Steve's drink. When Steve raised his eyebrows, Thor smiled and raised the flask.

"Asgardian mead," he answered. "This Midgardian nonsense won't have any effect on me, and I doubt it would have any on you either."

Steve's eyes lit up. "Well thank you," he replied. "I might actually be able to get buzzed for the first time in seventy years."

"You're very welcome," Thor replied, just as Ellie re-joined his side. She threaded her arm through his and immediately spotted his flask.

Eyes lighting up, she grinned "oh, hey, I want whatever you're having!"

Thor laughed, screwing the cap back on the flask and placing it safely back into his pocket.

"I'm afraid that this is not designed for mortals, my darling," he said, bringing one arm up to wrap around her shoulders as the other lifted his drink to take a hearty swig. "I don't think your mortal form could handle it."

Ellie immediately frowned at his words. "Just because you're a God doesn't mean you have to be so self-indulgent all the time," she replied easily, lifting her glass to take a large sip to match his. "I bet I could easily match drinks with you."

He'd already let out a booming laugh before he realised by the determined glint that lit up her eyes that she was being serious. His face immediately fell as he prepared to stutter out a protest, when she narrowed her eyes and tilted her drink back, draining the rest of it.

Slamming the now empty glass onto the table, Ellie announced "I'm hitting the bar; anyone else want another drink?"

"Oh, count me in," Sam said, hopping to his feet. Ellie pressed a quick kiss against Thor's cheek before twisting out of his hold, and the two of them made their way through the quickly growing crowd between their table and the bar.

As Thor watched them go, Tony chuckled. "She's a handful, that one," he said, nudging the Asgardian.

Humming, Thor nodded. "I'll drink to that," he said, raising his glass to clink against Tony's.

Ellie and Sam didn't end up returning to the table- instead, a few moments later Thor caught sight of them on the dance floor. Ellie was giggling loudly, a wide grin on her face as Sam twisted her around the dance floor. Thor couldn't hold back his own fond smile at her joy, before taking a sip of his drink and returning to the conversation currently waging at the table- a challenge of "who would win in a fight?" that Tony had begun.

"Tony, no offence, but you don't stand a chance against the Hulk," Clint said patiently. "I'd place a firm wager none of us do- well, actually Thor with Mjolnir might, but-"

Tony scoffed loudly in utter offence. "Hang on just a _minute-_ "

Drinks flowed throughout the evening, and conversation flowed easier. Around forty minutes later, a sweaty Sam returned to the table, and Thor noticed that Ellie was nowhere to be seen.

Eyes running over the crowd, Thor eventually spotted her back at the bar… where she was chattering animatedly to a mortal man who was standing far, _far_ too close to her. Thor left her be until the mortal man raised his hand and brushed Ellie's hair back from her face- touching her was _not acceptable-_ and he hopped to his feet midway through a conversation with Steve, marching determinedly towards his Soulmate.

"Hello, my darling," Thor said when he reached her, threading an arm easily around her waist and pulling her against his side. Ellie swivelled towards him and gasped his name delightedly.

"Oh, hi, Thor," she breathed sweetly, cuddling up closer against his chest. Instantly Thor noticed that she was significantly more drunk than the last time he'd seen her. He paid no mind to this for the moment- instead, as Ellie buried her face against his chest, Thor refused to break his stare with the brunette man who had been attempting to get _far_ too familiar with her. The brunette looked as though he severely regretted his actions now that he was faced with Thor's enormous frame towering over his own. The mortal man coughed uncomfortably, his body shrinking in on itself subconsciously underneath Thor's firey gaze as he rapidly stumbled back, placing some much-needed distance between himself and Ellie.

"I'm Thor," Thor introduced himself stiffly. "And you are?"

"This is Dennis," Ellie said brightly. The brunette man winced and mumbled "Actually, it's Robert."

Ellie either didn't hear over the noise from the crowded bar, or just didn't care enough to listen. Either way, she swivelled towards the mortal man and said with a big grin "Dennis, this is my Soulmate! Isn't he so handsome…"

A warm flush of pride came over him at his Soulmate's compliment, and yet Thor didn't take his steely gaze off the man across from him. Ellie didn't notice the staring contest between the two men as she tightened her arms around Thor and buried her face in his large chest.

Robert's eyed widened, and he stuttered out to Thor, "Man, I'm so sorry, I had no idea she was already Soulbonded-"

"She is," Thor replied simply. "Very much so."

Robert begun to stutter out another apology, but Thor quickly grew bored of him. "You can leave now," he dismissed simply, and Robert scrambled gratefully away from them.

Meanwhile, Ellie hardly seemed to have noticed her new friend's sudden departure. She was too busy staring up at Thor, her eyes wide in wonder as she looked at him as though he hung the stars in the sky.

(Or, more accurately, that he created the thunder in the sky.)

When he met her gaze, a silly sort of infatuated grin came onto her face. "Hi," she said fondly. "I'm so glad you're _here_."

Thor grinned widely. "As am I," he answered easily. "How much have you had to drink tonight, my darling?"

"Oh, a bit," she said airily. "Sam and I have been drinking long island ice teas; those are _good_ , Thor, probably one of the best drinks Earth has to offer, you have _got_ to try one- in fact- _bartender!_ Two long islands, please!"

He may have allowed her to order another drink, if not for the fact that when she reached her arm up to wave over the bartender, she toppled off of the barstool. She would've hit the ground if Thor hadn't caught her around the waist, where he hoisted her back up against his side snugly.

"I think you've had enough for the moment, Ellie," he said, pressing a kiss against her hairline as he angled his Soulmate back towards their table at the back of the room. She was easy enough to lead- she was tiny, after all, and she seemed happy enough to follow Thor wherever he decided to take her. When she realised that they were back at the table, her eyes lit up and she cried a cheerful "hi you guys!"

Everyone's amused gazes fell on her, and Thor grinned at the group. "It's time I take this one home," he said, and Ellie immediately gasped and shook her head.

"Nooooooo, Thor, I'm not even drunk, I wanna stay!" she cried, her sentiment undermined when she twisted towards him and immediately tripped over her own feet, toppling towards the floor.

Catching her easily around the waist before she hit the floor, Thor hoisted her bridal-style into his arms. Her breath hitching in surprise at the sudden movement, Ellie's fingers tightly gripped the fabric of Thor's shirt and she pressed her forehead against his throat when she was instantly overcome with dizziness. "I might be a little drunk," she admitted in a nearly inaudible voice, her words slurred, and Thor pressed a smiling kiss against the crown of her head.

"Surely _not_ , princess," he replied teasingly, and she giggled against the skin of his throat.

"Princess," she repeated in a giggly mumble, burying her face further into his shoulder. Thor tightened his grip around her as he nodded a goodbye to the rest of the Avengers. Just as he turned to leave, Ellie pulled her head away and threw one of her arms up to wave goodbye.

"Bye, everyone!" she shouted excitedly, immediately frowning when she was overcome by another wave of dizziness.

Thor reached the door of the bar easily; his large size was to thank for that, as everybody scrambled out of his way upon seeing his enormous form coming towards them. A moment later he was standing at the curb in the fresh evening breeze, his eyes glancing down the street. It was littered with a few people who had strayed from the bar, but it was mostly empty. Raking his eyes upwards to gaze upon the enormous structure of Stark Tower, Thor hoisted Ellie slightly higher up into his arms before beginning the short trek back to their destination.

"I had _so_ much fun tonight," Ellie begun to chatter against Thor's shoulder, her words coming quick and slightly slurred in her drunken state. "I don't know why we don't all do that more often! We should go out partying more- you know I've never really talked to Clint all that much, but did you know that he's _so funny?!_ Clint is hysterical, Thor, there was this one moment when we were up at the counter and the bartender wasn't serving us…"

She trailed off into her stories of the night, the alcohol fuelling her excitement. She jumped from story to story so quickly that Thor had trouble actually keeping up, but it didn't matter; he just loved hearing her so happy. As his Soulmate waved her arms around dramatically as she giggled too loudly at her own drunken stories, Thor thought it may have been the cutest thing he'd ever witnessed.

A few moments later Thor turned the corner into the right street, and the bright lights of Stark Tower came into sight. "We're almost back at the Tower, Princess," Thor said, using the same pet name again since she'd reacted so delightfully to it last time. Instead of giggling like she had the last time she'd heard it, Ellie fell into a sort of contemplative silence.

"Thor," she called curiously, and Thor hummed in response. "When we get married, will I be a Princess?"

A wide grin split across Thor's face, not missing the fact that she'd said _when,_ not _if_. "Would you like to be a Princess?" he asked in lieu of actually responding.

"I've never thought about it before," Ellie replied.

"When you were a small child, did you never play pretend that you were royalty?" Thor prompted.

"I don't _think_ so; or at least, I can't remember if I did. We don't really have a lot of royal families left on Midgard so I never really thought much about it since it was so _unlikely_ ," she chattered, her head lolling back on Thor's shoulder so she could look at his face. "But I kind of figured since you're a Prince it might just come with the territory of being your Soulmate."

"You will be Princess for a time," Thor replied easily. "But when I ascend the throne, you will become the Queen."

Ellie lifted her head too quickly from his shoulder- and rapidly realised that it was too heavy in her drunken state, causing her head to swing back down with a painful yank on her neck. Readjusting her weight in his arms, Thor hoisted Ellie so her head fell back against his shoulder comfortably.

"Queen," she breathed out. "That's… a lot. Wow. Are you _sure_ I should be the Queen?!"

"Who else?" Thor asked. "You were born destined to be the Queen of Asgard."

"I mean, I'm just saying- college didn't really prepare me to rule anything," Ellie said, blinking up at him. "I can write a killer essay and function on less than two hours sleep, but my skills don't really extend very far beyond that point."

"Nobody is born ready to rule; they learn," Thor said calmly. "And I shall be with you to help you every step of the way."

Ellie fell silent once again, and they were already past the entrance of Stark Tower and at the elevator by the time she eventually spoke again. The elevator door had closed behind them and begun moving up to the penthouse, before she said contemplatively "If I'm Queen, then it means I get to stay with you forever." It was less of a question than a statement.

Thor's gaze dropped to her face. Her forehead was resting against his throat, her eyes closed and a smile pulling her flushed cheeks up. Slowly, a wide grin spread across his face as he took in the sight of her. "Yes," he mused fondly, rubbing his thumb up and down her arm tenderly and pulling her body tighter in against his. "I'll be with you always, my sweetheart."

Thor watched as Ellie's smile widened. "Then I guess being Queen is worth it, then."

The elevator let out a quiet _ding!_ to announce that they'd arrived at their destination. After the door opened, Thor carried her through the threshold into the penthouse apartment and immediately headed down the hallway to their shared room.

"I'm going to put you down now, Ellie," he warned once he'd kicked the door closed behind them. "Can you stand up on your own?"

"Yep!" she replied cheerily. Thor carefully lowered her legs to the ground, and immediately upon letting go, her legs gave out and sent her toppling to the ground. Thor laughed as he caught her, pulling her form flush against his chest.

"I thought you said that you could stand," he reminded her teasingly, and she giggled drunkenly in response.

"I just need a second to get- to get my legs back," she replied, slowly pushing away from Thor- though he kept his hands outstretched, ready to catch her if she toppled again.

"Do you think you can shower on your own, or do you require assistance?"

"I can do it," she slurred, spinning unsteadily and heading towards the ensuite bathroom attached to their room. She reached down and begun tugging her tight shirt up and over her head, stopping in her tracks when it got stuck halfway over her head. Thor strode forwards and took the shirt, tugging it gently over her head and being careful not to catch it on any of her hair as he tugged it off and dropped it to the floor. "Thankyou," she giggled, pressing up on her toes to lay a quick kiss against his jaw. "You know, you could always join me," she said sweetly against his throat, biting down softly before laving her tongue against the spot. "We've got the penthouse to ourselves. Imagine, just you and me… all slippery and wet in the shower…"

Thor twisted his arms around her and pulled her tightly against his chest, his head dropping to press a hasty kiss against her waiting lips. "I believe that's the alcohol talking, you little minx," he said against her lips in between kisses, and she giggled.

"Maybe so- but you know that they say... drunk minds speak sober thoughts," she said, pulling back slightly to run her suddenly heated gaze over him. "And _believe_ me: I've _definitely_ thought about it. A lot."

Thor struggled not to let out an audible groan. "You're far too drunk for us to be having this conversation, darling," he said. Pulling away from her very _(VERY)_ reluctantly, Thor gently nudged her towards the bathroom door.

Ellie shot him a disappointed pout, ducking back to press another lingering kiss against his lips before allowing Thor to push her towards the bathroom. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me," she called, turning her back on him with a wink before reaching behind her and undoing the clasp of her bra. Thor watched her drop the bra behind her before the door of the bathroom slammed shut, hiding her from his view.

Groaning loudly, Thor's eyes dragged up to the sky and begged the Gods to give him strength. After a long moment, Thor turned to their wardrobe and begun to change into his night clothes. He ensured to listen carefully, and every time there was a loud clanging noise in the bathroom from Ellie knocking something over, he would call out "are you alright?" always to be met with a cheerful "yep!"

Once changed into his sleeping garments, Thor fell back against the bed and waited for Ellie to either finish or hurt herself enough to require help. A few moments later, Thor heard the showerhead turn off- and then a moment later, a loud, wet splash. Diving to his feet in panic, Thor rushed to the bathroom door and knocked, but received no answer. "Ellie?" he called, twisting the doorknob and rushing into the bathroom- only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw Ellie sitting up to her shoulders in water in the bathtub.

"I wanted a bath," she said, and this time her hoarse voice was significantly quieter than the last time she'd spoken. "Thor, I feel kinda sick…"

He'd expected the water would act to sober her up, so wasn't particularly surprised at this. She would likely be sick for a while, with the large amount of alcohol she'd consumed in the past few hours.

"Come along, my darling," he said comfortingly. "Out you get."

Shaking her head, Ellie groaned and pushed her forehead against the cool ceramic of the tub. "Gonna throw up… Thor, why'd you let me drink so much?" she demanded accusingly, and Thor tried to hide his smile at her tenacity.

"My most sincere apologies," he replied, reaching over to pluck her towel up from the counter. Thor strode towards and tub and bent down, nudging her shoulder gently with the fabric. "Come on, I'll help you up."

Letting out a small squeak of reluctant assent, Ellie shifted her arms slightly to enable Thor to get a solid grip on her and pull her up to her feet. Thor darted his gaze respectfully away from her naked form and kept his hands in respectable places as he reached out to wrap Ellie's towel tightly around her. Nearly her entire body weight was resting against Thor, as he reached down and hoisted her into his arms to carry her back into their bedroom.

He'd known that she would crash relatively quickly after she got into the shower, but he'd really been hoping to have her _out_ of the water and warmly in bed before that happened. Unfortunately, his Soulmate seemed to do the opposite of what he wanted at the best of times, and her inebriation was only serving to make her even more difficult.

But as she curled up in his arms, snuggling her face against his throat and clutching his shirt tightly to pull herself closer, Thor had to admit… she was difficult, but she was cute enough that he didn't think he'd want her any other way.

It was a bit of a mission to wake Ellie up enough to get her to change into her pyjamas, until finally she was ready to flop down into bed. Thor hoisted her into his arms before laying down in bed with her, where Ellie quickly crawled half on top of him to cuddle in tightly against his large form. Tightening his arms around her waist, Thor pulled her closer and listened to her breathing even out.

"Thor?" Ellie's quiet voice sounded a few moments later, and Thor tilted his head to glance down at her in surprise- he'd thought her asleep. Thor ran his thumb along her cheekbone softly, and she snuggled her face closer against his chest.

"Yes, my darling?" he asked, his voice equally quiet in an effort not to disturb her.

"…I can't out-drink you," she admitted, and Thor let out a quiet laugh against her temple. "Please don't say you told me so."

"I'm not going to say it," Thor hummed. Then, a beat later, he continued "but whilst we're on the topic, I absolutely did tell-"

"Stoooooooooppppp!" Ellie groaned, pouting. "You're being mean."

Thor laughed quietly again, tightening his grip around her. They lapsed back into silence for such a long period that Thor was sure that she'd drifted into sleep, when suddenly she spoke.

"Thor?" she said his name again, her voice even quieter this time.

"Yes, Ellie, my love?" Thor replied softly.

"I'm really glad you're my Soulmate," she mumbled, and Thor felt his chest suddenly constrict with the full weight of his love for his tiny human girl.

"Not as glad as I," he eventually managed to respond reverently, his voice croaky though his sincerity, as his fingers drifted over the letters etched onto her forearm, forever marking her as his. Bringing her hand up, Thor pressed his lips in a soft kiss against the words, thanking Fate for bringing this girl to him and entwining her fate with his own.

* * *

 **AN: Hi, it's been a while! I got an anonymous reviewer asking if I'd consider writing soulmate AU's for the other avengers and wanted to say yeah I'd absolutely love to do that! If anyone wants to send me ideas, I'd be happy to give it a crack. But for the moment, here's the latest Thor/Ellie chapter, and despite the long wait I hope you guys enjoy! The feedback I've gotten for this story was more than I expected and means the world :)**


	5. Chapter V: Jealousy

**Summary: Sparks of jealousy fly, and new decisions are made.**

* * *

Thor quite liked the Man of Iron.

Really, he did. Always had. Tony Stark was quite refreshing for a human; he never hesitated to speak his mind, was exceptionally clever and openminded, and displayed a true bravery fit for warriors of Valhalla. Tony could be a bit petty or vulgar sometimes, but so could the rest of Thor's friends, so the Asgardian wasn't going to hold that against him.

Ellie liked Tony, too. The two got along rather swimmingly, actually.

Which was fine, obviously.

Ellie was the brightest soul Thor had ever met; she was sweet and kind and seemed to attract people to her. All of the Avengers had immediately taken to her upon meeting her, but none more so than Tony. When Ellie wasn't by Thor's side, she could almost always be found with Tony. She was clever, and liked to help Tony and Bruce out in their lab. She was also sociable and always enjoyed taking trips around the city with Tony to try new things. They also had the same taste in music and films (two things Thor hadn't understood the meaning of until Ellie explained them to him), so Ellie and Tony could often be found in the main living room watching a film or listening to music and debating things which Thor struggled to grasp.

And that was all fine. Obviously. Thor was absolutely, totally, 100% fine with Ellie and Tony's abnormally close friendship.

Except that actually- he really fucking wasn't.

Sure, Thor quite liked Tony Stark, but the more time Tony spent with his soulmate, the more Thor thought that he'd quite like to wring his throat.

Thor took to wondering if perhaps Soulmates didn't mean the same thing on Earth as they did on Asgard. On Thor's home world, there was no higher regard given than that to the Soulmate bond. Loyalty to Soulmates was prized just as highly as loyalty to the Allfather. Even in battles, it was known that Soulmates were off limits; to injure a Soulmate was unquestionably punished by death.

Perhaps Earth did not hold the Soulmate bond in similarly high regard. Thor admitted that he was unfamiliar, and often confused, with all the customs of Midgard; perhaps Soulmates acted more freely and less loyally on this planet.

Thor considered asking Ellie about it, but he didn't see any way of framing his question that wouldn't come across as a bit offensive. He tried a number of different tactics in his head, but they all ended up something similar to "hello, my eternal love, do humans not respect their Soulmate bond as highly as Asgardians do?" and he knew that sounded rather accusatory. Thor didn't want to accuse Ellie; the very _last_ thing that he would ever want to do would be to hurt her feelings and make her think that he was unsatisfied in some way with her as his Soulmate. Because he wasn't! Far from it, actually; Thor _adored_ Ellie. She utterly amazed him every single day, and he thought that it was hardly possible that anyone in all of the nine realms could possibly feel anything stronger than what he felt for his Ellie.

But frankly, finding ones Soulmate was a real learning curve. Thor had found Ellie about five months ago, and he'd spent more than half of that time parted from her, dealing with the destruction of the Bifrost and the ensuing chaos. Things were still relatively chaotic back on Asgard, which meant that he was forced away from her far more often than he liked.

He just wanted to make her happy. He really, desperately, just wanted Ellie to be happy. But, you know, with _him…_ not with Tony bloody Stark.

Thor decided to seek out assistance from Steve Rogers. Of all the Avengers, Thor had formed the closest friendship with the Captain, and felt comfortable asking him for advice on human customs which he as of yet didn't want to broach with Ellie.

"Soulmate customs on Earth and Asgard sound pretty similar. Soulmate bonds are extremely important here; they're very rarely broken, and when they are it's not done lightly. Honestly, Thor, it just sounds like you're a little jealous," Steve told him.

Thor scoffed. Jealous? _Him?!_ Ha! Laughable. This was not _jealousy,_ this green, envious beast which seemed to crawl up his throat whenever he saw Tony and Ellie together.

Or… perhaps it was jealousy. Thor wouldn't really know; he'd never experienced such an emotion before. He'd never really needed to; as Prince of Asgard he knew how coveted a prize he would make any woman. Besides, he'd never felt any other woman he'd courted was important enough to feel jealous over. They'd never mattered, because in the grand scheme of things he'd been waiting for _this_ woman, for Ellie.

Steve took in Thor's silence before powering on, his voice amused this time. "Thor, you've got nothing to worry about, believe me. Tony isn't a threat; the guy is totally happy with Pepper, and if you haven't noticed, Ellie is completely head over heels mad about you," he said in amusement. "She lights up the entire tower when you're here, and mopes about when you're _not_ here. You're never not on her mind, buddy."

Thor knew that this was supposed to cheer him up, so he tried to smile at the Captain, despite how strained it felt. He'd come to Steve in an attempt to feel better, but it had depressed him more than ever to learn that she noticeably _moped_ when he was away on Asgard- where he _constantly_ seemed to be.

Allfather, this woman… she deserved _so much better._

So, speaking with Steve hadn't really helped in the slightest. In fact, it had made things innumerably worse. The next few days, Thor felt terrible; a sense of guilt pervaded his every moment with Ellie, and watching her with Tony made his stomach broil worse than ever.

Thor didn't think that Ellie would ever truly leave him for Tony. But in moments when he was left alone with his thoughts, usually at night when he would lay in the darkness beside Ellie and run his fingers over her Soulmark, he couldn't help but think… perhaps she'd be better off.

It was only a matter of time before others begun picking up on his foul mood, particularly the unwitting focus: Tony and Ellie.

Thor didn't mean to be so obvious. Really, he didn't. He really did like Tony and never wanted to burden Ellie with these thoughts, but he couldn't help but be more snappish whenever the Man of Iron was around. And to her credit, Ellie truly was very clever and very perceptive, so it hardly took her long at all to notice that something was amiss.

"Honey," Ellie prompted quietly one day, when the two of them were alone at the Tower. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always?"

There was a long pause as Ellie considered her words. And then, she just blatantly asked, "Why are you jealous of Tony?"

"I am _not!"_ The boisterousness of Thor's scoff immediately alerted Ellie to the fact that she really was right on the mark.

Gaze softening, Ellie reached for him. Instinctively, Thor opened his arms to her as she stepped into his embrace. He always felt better with her close.

"I like Tony. He's a wonderful friend," Ellie admitted, before shifting her gaze up to meet his. Then, she slowly raised her arm to bring her Soulmark up to his eye level. "But _Tony's_ name isn't the one permanently on my body. _Yours_ is, Thor, and that means the world to me. _You_ mean the world to me. Don't you _know_ that?"

Suddenly desperate to feel her lips against his own, Thor swooped down to press a kiss against her waiting mouth. "You're everything- you've _been_ everything to me for nearly a millennia," he admitted against her lips. "But after all this time, after finally finding you… I fear that I'm not good enough for you."

Ellie's head pulled back from his, her mouth dropping open as she stared up at him in shock. "What in the world would make you think that?!"

"I'm never here- I'm always gone, in another realm-"

"You _have_ to be," Ellie interrupted. "Thor, you have so many responsibilities resting on your shoulders. You're the protector of the nine realms- I _know_ that- you have to be present in all of them."

"But my heart remains in this one," he returned quietly, brokenly. "I should be here, with _you._ "

Ellie's gaze softened at this admission. Reaching both hands up to cup his cheeks, Ellie forced Thor's gaze to meet hers. Leaning into her touch, Thor brought his hands up to cup her own, trying to pull her closer. For a moment they remained this way, merely soaking up each other's closeness. Eventually, Ellie found the words she sought and began to speak.

"I know that I'm important to you, you show me that, every single day," she said softly. Thor's eyes drifted closed at her words, his forehead dropping to rest against her own. "And I would _hope_ that you know how important you are to me, too. But you're a Prince, and that comes with a lot of responsibilities. I know that I have to share you."

Thor's head shook slightly against where it remained resting against her own. "I don't want you to," he whispered.

Ellie brushed the pad of her thumb gently against the skin beneath Thor's eye, where dark purple bags signalling his complete exhaustion had become a near permanent feature of his handsome face. "I see how worn down you are every time you come to me," she admitted quietly. "It breaks my heart, Thor. You're a Prince, I know how many responsibilities you have and how they weigh on your shoulders…"

"I only know true peace when I'm with you," Thor replied, his quiet tone nothing but honest. "I feel as though the only time when I can truly relax is when I'm with you. When I'm away from you, everything inside of me feels… wrong."

Brushing her fingers over his cheek once more, Ellie shook her head slightly. "And yet to see me, you need to leave your responsibilities and make a special trip to a realm which otherwise holds nothing for you," she said. "I should be easing your burden, not adding to it."

They drifted into an intimate silence, both contemplating the limbo they currently existed in. Thor's eyes fluttered open as an idea struck him, and before he could reconsider he blurted out "you could come to Asgard. You could stay there… with me."

Ellie's gaze betrayed her shock. And then slowly, a soft smile flitted across her face. "You… want me to live on Asgard with you?"

"More than anything," Thor immediately defended fiercely. "I know that I ask too much of you and I will fully understand-"

"Okay."

"-if you decide to say no and- wait… what?"

Ellie grinned broadly. "I said, okay. Yes."

"Yes?" Thor repeatedly blankly.

Giggling slightly, Ellie ducked forward and pressed a kiss against his jaw. " _Yes_."

"Are you sure?" Thor asked. "You'd be giving up so much-"

"-but gaining so much more," Ellie interrupted softly. "I'd give up everything for you."

Thor was dumbstruck for a long moment.

"Do you remember that night when we went to Tony's favourite bar? And you told me that one day I was going to be the Queen of Asgard?"

Thor nodded.

"Well, after that night, I did some self-reflecting. I thought about it a lot, and I came to accept that my life here is in the past. _You_ , Thor, are my future. And you're a Prince on a _different planet._ If I want to keep you, I'm going to have to make some changes."

"Your job- your _family-_ " Thor stuttered out.

"I'll come back to visit my family," Ellie shrugged. "And I'm a scholar on Norse myths. Seeing them all up close and personal is hardly the worst thing in the world; it's every scholars dream!"

Thor wanted to keep protesting, to make sure that she really had considered this in depth before making such a huge choice. He wanted to make sure that _she_ was truly, completely sure of her choice. But another part of him wanted to shut up, to not question this wonderful gift.

But he couldn't in good faith drag her from everything she'd ever known to satisfy his own whims. If Odin didn't put so much pressure on him, if he didn't have so many responsibilities in Asgard, he would move to Earth in a heartbeat to be with her, so she never had to change a thing. But he could not. "Ellie, are you _sure_?" he implored.

And with the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen, Ellie said simply, "I've never been more sure about anything than I am about you."


End file.
